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The first Asian arrivals in New Zealand date back to the latter half of the nineteenth century. Most of the migrants at the time were from China, which was then “beset by overpopulation, land shortages, famine, drought, banditry, and peasant revolts.” The first known Asian settler is believed to be Appo Hocton, or Wong Ah Poo Hoc Ting, who arrived in Nelson in 1842:

“Appo Hocton arrived in Nelson in 1842, within months of its settlement. As a nine-year-old boy, Wong Ah Poo Hoc Ting left his village in Guangdong province, South China, to become a cabin boy on English sailing ships. In his early 20s, he was a steward on the immigrant ship, the Thomas Harrison, bound for New Zealand. After jumping ship in Nelson, he was employed by the vessel’s former surgeon, Thomas Renwick, as a housekeeper, saving enough to buy a bullock team and establish a carting business”

(France, 2014).

Migrants from China came to New Zealand in pursuit of gold in the Otago fields. On top of dire conditions at home, the discovery of gold in places like California in the United States and Canada as well as New Zealand prompted an exodus, although most arrived with intentions of returning home after reaping their mineral fortunes. This was one of the reasons they were recruited by the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. They were also seen favourably because they were “thought to be hardworking, inoffensive, and willing to rework abandoned claims” (Ip, 2012a).

The first arrival of Chinese gold miners in 1866 was comprised of 12 men; by 1869, this number had grown to over 2,000. However, it did not take long for anti-Chinese sentiments to flare up, with calls for restrictions on the number of Chinese migrants. In 1881, the Chinese Immigrants Act posed a poll tax of £10; by 1896, this had increased to

£100. While this poll tax is probably the most well-known of the anti-Chinese measures that were introduced around this time, they weren’t the only ones (Ip, 2012b):

1. After 1907 all arrivals were required to sit an English reading test;

2. In 1908 naturalisation of Chinese was stopped and did not resume until 1952;

3. From 1908 Chinese who wished to leave the country temporarily needed re-entry permits, which were thumb printed;

4. From 1920 entry to New Zealand was by permit only, which severely restricted the numbers of Chinese immigrants;

5. Permanent residency was denied from 1926;

6. Chinese people were deprived of the old age pension until 1936.

Some of the Chinese population remained in New Zealand even after the goldfields were depleted. They moved into other areas of the country, opening fruit shops and grocery stores. According to New Zealand Asian studies scholar Manying Ip, it wasn’t until the late 1930s that Chinese populations laid proper roots. This was attributed to a liberalisation of residence requirements:

“After 1939 wives and children of Chinese men in New Zealand were allowed temporary entry as refugees from war-torn China. Rather than indicating a fundamental change of immigration policy, the more liberal residence requirements that were introduced in 1947 were prompted by humanitarian concern about adverse conditions in China. Those granted permanent residence included wives and children who had arrived as refugees after 1939, New Zealand-born babies of the wives, and Chinese temporary residents and students who had been in New Zealand for over five years” (Ip, 2012c).

The Indian population in New Zealand has its roots that go back to around the same time as the first Chinese arrivals. Most were temporary labourers who came from the regions of Punjab and Gujarat, and like the Chinese, few had intentions of settling in New Zealand permanently; most wanted to earn money and return home (Taher, 1970, p. 4).

“Overpopulation, underemployment, and the decline of village industries led many Indians to seek advancement in other countries. The rising standard of living, combined with crippling family wedding expenses, also made it vital to earn more money. Gujaratis and Punjabis had always had close contact with Westerners through British-run industries in India, and were aware of opportunities overseas. Some who were seafarers or employees of British civil servants heard about New Zealand’s employment possibilities” (Swarbrick, 2012b).

Like the Chinese, however, the early Indian settler population encountered racism and prejudice. In 1899, the Immigration Restrict Act was passed. Prior to this, Indians had been able to enter New Zealand freely as part of the British empire; the Act meant that anyone not of “British birth and parentage” was required to fill out their immigration

application in a European language. Despite such efforts, the Indian population in New Zealand still grew, as it remained relatively easy for a resident Indian-New Zealanders to bring in their relatives, or for others to enter New Zealand under temporary permits then apply for permanent residency later (Swarbrick, 2012a).

Gradually but eventually, these early Asian populations grew in number and became a permanent part of New Zealand. Ip elaborated: “Greater security and standing in the community enabled families to prosper. By the 1960s many offspring had become successful professionals.” Accordingly, earlier prejudice subsided, as it was also around this time “[the] overt racism and discrimination on the part of the host community began to recede,” – that Asian-New Zealanders, who were predominantly of Chinese and Indian ethnicity at the time, expanded their participation in New Zealand society and increasingly adopted the common “way of life.” They pursued higher education in greater numbers and sought employment in the public service as well as in private businesses and industries, instead of succeeding the traditional family profession which, until then, had been largely limited to “dairy-owners, green grocers [and] market gardeners” (Vasil & Yoon, 1996, p.

40).

The significant growth in the country’s Asian population in more recent decades is in part due to the Immigration Policy Review of 1986. It marked a shift away from the earlier emphasis that New Zealand’s immigration policy had on nationality and ethnic origin in determining who was allowed into the country. It led to the introduction of the Immigration Act 1991, which involved a points system: “Applicants were awarded points for employability, age, educational qualifications and settlement funds. A modest level of English was required. Under the points system, any applicant achieving a minimum number of points was automatically eligible for admission” (Beaglehole, 2012).

Consequently, more migrants from non-traditional source countries – namely Asians from countries like Hong Kong, the Taiwan and the Republic of Korea – were able to meet the criteria to emigrate to New Zealand, and their numbers accordingly grew.

Despite their lengthy history and their flourishing public participation, Asian-New Zealanders have only recently seen the election of “one of their own” to the representative political body of the national legislature. In the 1970s, Ron Wai Shing – who was Chinese – had stood twice as the Labour Party’s candidate for the electorate of Franklin, but he was

unsuccessful both times with the long-time right-leaning constituency favouring the National Party’s Bill Birch (S. Young, 1996). However, in 1996 – some 20-odd years later and accompanying the introduction of a new electoral system – Pansy Wong became New Zealand’s first Asian member of Parliament.

Chapter V: New Zealand’s Asian Members of